Our Story
Decades of wisdom. A legacy of compassion. A future of connection.
PUPPETalk™ was built on over half a century of pediatric wisdom, innovation, and heartfelt care. It all began in the 1970s, when Dr. Bonnie Camp, a pioneering pediatrician and child psychologist, introduced puppets at the Young Mothers & Families Clinic at Children’s Hospital Colorado.
Her goal? To help teenage mothers bond with their babies through playful, positive communication. The results were promising—young mothers seemed to flourish, using puppets to connect with their newborns in meaningful ways.
Fast forward to 2012: Dr. Gretchen Domek, mentored by Dr. Camp, brought puppets into her global health work in Guatemala and China. In communities with limited resources and low literacy, she witnessed the same magic—mothers engaging, babies responding, relationships growing.
Inspired by these powerful moments, Dr.s Domek and Camp returned to Children’s Hospital Colorado to formally study the impact of puppets in early childhood development. The results were remarkable, showing benefits to babies, mothers, and families. And so, PUPPETalk™ was born.
Led by Dr. Domek for over a decade, PUPPETalk™ continues to empower caregivers around the world to talk, connect, and nurture through the simple, joyful power of puppets.
Our TEAM
Dr. Gretchen Domek, MD, MPhil
Dr. Gretchen Domek is a pioneering force in global child health and early development. She serves as the Frankenburg Distinguished Professor in Developmental Pediatrics at the University of Colorado and is an associate professor and general pediatrician at Children’s Hospital Colorado, where she also directs the International Adoption Clinic.
Driven by a passion for equity in early childhood, Dr. Domek blends clinical expertise with visionary leadership. She has spent over a decade designing innovative, low-cost interventions to support families in underserved communities, including PUPPETalk™. Her work extends far beyond the U.S.—she has led a community-based early childhood development program in rural Guatemala and helped adapt this program for use in rural China, bringing life-changing support to families in resource-limited settings.
Dr. Domek’s academic journey is as impressive as her impact. A Rhodes Scholar, she earned her master’s degree in Medical Anthropology from Oxford University, her medical degree from Harvard Medical School, and completed her pediatric residency and global health fellowship at the University of Colorado.
Whether in a clinic, a village, or a research lab, Dr. Domek is committed to giving every child the best possible start in life. She lives near Denver with her husband and three children, escaping to the mountains for outdoor adventures every chance she gets.
Mariarosa Gasbarro, MA
Mariarosa Gasbarro brings a deep commitment to equity in early childhood development to her work with PUPPETalk™. Her career has been shaped by the belief that every child deserves the chance to thrive.
Ms. Gasbarro began her journey as a preschool teacher, where she saw firsthand how nurturing relationships can shape a child’s future—and the stark disparities between programs serving low-income children and those in more affluent communities. That experience ignited a lifelong mission to close those gaps.
Since then, she has led national quality improvement efforts to strengthen clinical practice among maternal-child health nurse home visitors and now oversees the implementation and evaluation of PUPPETalk™ across both clinical and community-based settings. Her work lives at the intersection of science, policy, and practice—translating research into real-world tools that help families support their children’s development from the very beginning.
An alumna of the University of Colorado Boulder, Ms. Gasbarro also holds a master’s degree in Child, Family, and School Psychology from the University of Denver. She lives in Denver with her husband and son and finds joy in Colorado’s rivers, lakes, and trails, dancing to Zumba beats, and discovering new places and flavors through travel.
PUPPETalk™ 